M. Scott Young

Executive Director of Food Bank of Lincoln (Nebraska)

As Executive Director of the Food Bank of Lincoln, Scott Young manages the organization’s day-to-day workings, carrying out its mission, and heightening awareness of Southeast Nebraska’s growing poverty issue. Young had cast a wide net in finding the best career fit. Leaving Nebraska Wesleyan University in the early 70s to pursue work in radio, he held a variety of positions in stations in Lincoln and Omaha, Laramie, WY, and Casa Grande, AZ. In 1997 he was ready for a career change and re-enrolled at Wesleyan. Returning to college as a non-traditional student allowed him to focus more on his studies, and he soon realized that non-profit work may be a good fit for him. In 2001, he completed his communication degree and became the Food Bank’s Executive Director.

Under Scott’s leadership, the organization has doubled both its annual food distribution rate as well as its budget. A successful program started under Young’s guidance, the BackPack program, sends food-filled backpacks home with school children on Friday afternoons. While the hunger problem may not be as well defined in Nebraska, it is still present. Young reports that the latest US Census figures reveal that there are more than 6,500 children under age 18 living below the poverty line in Lancaster County alone. It is work like this that Young says brings to light the poverty and hunger issues that Nebraska faces.

Scott is a well-respected leader both locally and nationally. Scott has served on the NAC from 2009-11. In addition to his work in food banking, Scott has also done a significant amount of radio and other local media personality work. This has led to significant local support and free marketing/ad opportunities in the local areas.p>

Young lives in Lincoln with wife JoAnne. They have three children and a daughter-in-law.